Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured a temporary court injunction on Thursday, preventing the domestic security agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), from classifying the party as a “confirmed right-wing extremist” organization. The ruling, granted by an administrative court in Cologne, shields the party from this formal designation ahead of pivotal regional elections in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate scheduled for March.
The BfV had labeled the AfD a “confirmed right-wing extremist” group in May 2025, escalating from its previous “suspected extremist” classification. The court’s interim order halts the use of this label pending a full legal challenge. In its reasoning, the court stated that radical public statements on migration and religion by individual AfD members were insufficient evidence to assess the party’s overall character. The designation carries significant legal weight, as federal law grants the BfV expanded surveillance and investigative powers against such groups, and the label can also influence public perception and voter behavior.
The AfD framed the injunction as a major vindication. Party co-leader Alice Weidel stated it “indirectly threw a spanner in the works for the ban fanatics,” referencing growing calls from some political rivals and civil society groups to seek a formal party ban. The party’s lawyer, Ralf Hoecker, declared that a potential ban is now “no longer conceivable. It’s off the table.”
Government and opposition reactions were divided. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, of the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU), urged patience with the full legal process but reiterated a political stance, saying the AfD “must be driven out of the country, not banned.” Carmen Wegge, judicial spokesperson for the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), maintained she is “firmly convinced that the AfD is anti-constitutional” and that the matter should ultimately be examined by the Federal Constitutional Court. The Left Party has also voiced support for a ban.
Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, criticized the ruling as a “slap in the face” for the BfV and a “campaign gift for the AfD.” She attributed the party’s strength to mainstream policy failures rather than security classifications.
The legal dispute unfolds as national polls position the AfD as the main challenger to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU. The temporary injunction removes a major legal and reputational threat in the immediate term, though the final court decision on the BfV’s classification remains pending. The outcome will have lasting implications for how German security agencies can politically categorize opposition parties and for the broader legal strategies aimed at addressing the AfD’s rise.
